Pivotal Mental States

Pivotal mental states (PiMs) are states of mind created by profound psychological events which permanently shift modes of general thought patterns. PiMs serve an important evolutionary function, that is, to aid psychological transformation when actual or perceived environmental pressures demand this. In nature PiMs are primed by chronic stress and neurotic traits, whereas acute stress can be a trigger. PiMs can also be induced by certain medicines and experiences, evidence for which is presented below.

Strong evidence

Psychedelics

With the correct priming and setting, psychedelics administered with guidance can shift normal thought patterns by causing the function to be less constrained than usual by the presence or absence of an underlying anatomical connection. There is some evidence to suggest the experience increases nature relatedness potentially by shifting egoism to ecoism. Burnzero, advocates for a special type of psychedelic use called questing.

Medium evidence

Near Death Experience

Near-death-experience (NDE) is classically described as an intense psychological experience characterized by an atypical state of consciousness occurring during an episode of apparent unconsciousness and usually in life-threatening conditions. Some evidence suggests that classical psychedelics such as DMT can induce this state however historically, a defunct class of drugs called the pseudohallucinogens is thought to bridge this gap. The pseudohallucinogens do not have the same tryptamine / phenylethylamine chemical structures as the classical psychedelics instead they included drugs with a diverse range of effects which broadly are considered poisonous, these include:

• Nutmeg / mace
• Wisteria sinenis

Electroconvulsive Therapy

When people think of ECT they think of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, however this was a dramatisation, the process is far from what was depicted. Since its introduction in the 1930's, various changes to pulse width, dosing and duration, electrode placement and anesthesia have made the treatment almost unrecognisable. Research has shown that 64% to 87% of patients with severe MDD respond to ECT, with response rates as high as 95% for patients with MDD with psychotic features. Furthemore, in otherwise healthy patients with intellectual disability a retrospective chart review performed at Cambridge university has shown that 79% showed a positive outcome following ECT.

Blue Marble

Leland Melvin was saying “we need to send everyone to space so they can experience this overview effect” and it was frustrating, because as great an idea as that is, it’s extremely unrealistic in the short term. Yuri Gagarin, upon his return as the first human in space marveled at the planet from orbit in 1961. “People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty — not destroy it,” . A half-century later, ex-NASA astronaut José Hernández said that the view aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 2009 turned him into “an instant treehugger.” On Christmas Eve 1968, the NASA astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders were aboard Apollo 8, the first manned mission to orbit the Moon. They had spent most of the day photographing the Moon’s surface, when Borman turned the spaceship around, and Earth came into view. ‘Oh my God, look at that picture over there. Here’s the Earth coming up,’ shouted Anders. Like the astronauts themselves, the world was awestruck by the first images of the whole Earth from space, which are today widely credited with triggering the birth of the modern environmental movement.

Astronauts looking down on Earth from above for the first time see that only a fine blue line of atmosphere shelters our planet from the hostile vacuum of space — and often, they suddenly get an overwhelming responsibility to protect it. National borders disappear; the scene evokes a feeling of cosmic connection. This so-called “overview effect” has been turning astronauts into environmental advocates ever since the first person in space.

Weak Evidence

Spiritual experiences

Whilst unproven scientifically, (it would be very difficult due to the subjective nature) spiritual experiences in some cases have been able to shift modes of general thought patterns. Pharmacologically the human brain has been found to produce psychedelic compounds, the thought is that certain technique may be helpful in unleashing its endogenous effect:

• Holotropic breathing techniques- 30 minutes breathing in a controlled, three-beat pattern — one sharp breath into my belly, one sharp breath into my lungs, and a sigh-like exhale to release.

Very Weak Evidence

There is a lot of mumbo jumbo on the web which is trying to sell people who are scared of the psychedelic experience other stuff they do not need. There is little to no evidence for any of this, however it has been put here to dispel associated myths.

Stroboscopics

Flicker light stimulation are capable of inducing visual effects with an intensity rated to be similar in strength to effects induced by psychedelic substances. Whilst some visual aspects of the psychedelic experience can be replicated there is no evidence to suggest any other neurological effect occurs, click this link to see a range of psychedelic toys the strongest of which is a stroboscopic. Many of these techniques are thought to work by replicating the speed of specific brain wave patterns. It is thought that low hallucination-inducing frequencies (8 to 11 Hz) and high hallucination-inducing frequencies (19 to 25 Hz).

References